Voldemort's Final Downfall
by Seglotash
Summary: It's Harry's Seventh Year. Voldemort's been freely terrorizing Muggles and Wizards alike, gaining enormous numbers of followers (in both worlds!). Dumbledore's been taken to Azkaban under false charges, and Voldemort finds it the perfect time to strike.
1. A Slight Change in Leadership

Harry Potter #7

Chapter #?

**Voldemort****'****s**

**Final Downfall**

**Part 1:**

**A Slight Change in Leadership**

"_What?" gasped Ron, horrified after Harry told him the ill-fated news.  _

"That's right." Harry fumed, "He's _gone!"  _

"But how could—?  Even the Ministry can't—!"  

"You'd be surprised, Ron," Hermione chimed in, buried in her studies, "What the Ministry can cook up, these days."  

Harry could feel the rage coming from the time Hermione had said the word "surprised," and braced himself for another explosion from Ron.  "I'd be _surprised?" hissed Ron, gripping the armrests of a chair in the Gryffindor common room.  "My father worked for the Ministry for longer than I've been alive—!"_

"Exactly!" Hermione snapped, "He _worked there!  You should remember good and well what they cooked up for your dad!  __Just so he could get fired!"  _

"_Must you keep bringing that up?" Ron seethed.  Then he shot at Harry, "It's as if she __enjoys it!  So Hermione, which would you rather taunt me with?  Our N.E.W.T.S. exams in only two weeks or my dad's unemployment?"  _

Hermione could have killed him then and there.  In the light of recent events, Harry understood her frustration very well.  She jabbed her quill into her ink bottle, hoisted it with her parchment and books under her arm, and briskly headed up to the Girl's Dormitory, adding, "I'll see you tomorrow in potions class, Harry," before shooting a quick, icy glare at Ron.  

Harry and Ron were silent (Ron's jaw hanging slightly open) until they heard Hermione slam the door to her Dormitory.  

"What's _her problem, anyway?" Ron asked.  _

"You didn't have to say those things, Ron," Harry said quietly in an attempt to calm Ron down, and wishing Luna could see him now, defending Hermione.  "She heard it too.  That means it's only one more thing to get her stressed."  

"Oh, and I'm _not stressed?" Ron, asked, flustered.  _

Harry sighed.  He couldn't decide which was worse, his friends bickering again, or the loss of their Headmaster.  With Voldemort terrorizing the Muggle world and gaining huge, uncountable masses of followers in both worlds, added with the upcoming N.E.W.T.S. exams, and of course Professor Snape being more ruthless than in all of Harry's previous years at Hogwarts, every Seventh Year had all the reason in the world to be stressed!  

"Look," said Harry after a long pause of thought, "Dumbledore told me, right before he left, to remember what he told us after Voldemort — Argh!  Ron, his name isn't _that_ bad! — after _he returned three years ago.  You remember that?"  _

Ron raised an eyebrow, trying to bring that back to the front of his mind.  "Oh, yeah," he said, thinking hard, "Something like, 'we're as strong as we are divided' — Or, no… 'as _weak_ and we are divided'.  That's it!  And 'as strong as we are united'.  Yeah, ok."  

"Then you also remember what the Sorting Hat's been saying?" Harry asked.  

"Oh, yeah, of course!" Ron blurted out.  "Who doesn't?  It's been sayin' the same stuff for the passed three years!  But what does this have to do with anything?"  

"Ron," Harry said slowly and carefully, "I just found it interesting that right after I spoke to Dumbledore before he was taken away, I come here and find you two snapping at each other all over again!"  

Now it was Ron who shot a dark look.  He opened him mouth to say something, but decided against it.  So Harry continued.  

"So far, everyone's attitude's been playing right into Voldemort's hands," Harry said, and Ron flinched with a small gasp.  "_That, for example!  When are you ever gonna learn to say his name?  Hermione says it just fine!"  _

Ron threw up his hands in frustration.  "Well if you're so proud of how far _Hermione's_ come," he said as viciously as possible, "and if you're gonna defend her so much, why don't you just go and _marry_ her already!  Good _night_!"  And with that, Ron dropped his barely started Transfiguration homework and stomped all the way up the stairs.  

Harry had no idea what to do next.  _What_ had caused Ron to explode like that?  And how come, Harry thought, whenever he tried to keep the ties of unity strong, everyone fought against him?  Harry knew that before he went to bed, he'd have to clear his mind of all thoughts and feelings.  What better place than right here where he was alone?  No, he'd just have to wait until Ron went to sleep.  If he cleared him mind here, sleep would overtaking him and he'd end up spending the night in the common room.  

He wished he could talk to Luna.  Despite her less than orthodox ideas, she always seemed to have the answers to everything.  Yet she was strangely balanced enough not to let it get to her head.  If only he could ask her for advice on how to deal with Ron and Hermione.  But, looking at his watch, Harry saw that it was passed eleven, and too late to contact her in any way.  Seeing as it had been waiting for Ron to go to sleep for more than half-an-hour, Harry went ahead and ascended the spiral staircase.  Sure enough, Ron was on his side, mouth slightly open, snoring quietly.  Harry got undressed as silently as possible, got into his pajamas, and climbed into his four-poster bed.  

Harry took a deep breath and blew the candle out slowly.  Then he closed his eyes and made to clear his mind of everything in it, while awaiting yet another dreamless night.  

But that was quite far from what Harry got.  

Instantly Harry saw that he was in a huge room.  _No! He thought, _I can't be dreaming!  __

But then it occurred to Harry, _How can I be in someone else's head if I can think my own thoughts?  Huh.  I guess this is nothing more that a regular old—_

Harry stopped.  The room he had appeared in was full of people.  They were bickering among themselves loudly about something one of the others had said.  The argument wasn't hostile, but simply like they were deciding what they thought was right on a particular issue.  

Then Harry saw their faces clearly.  With horrified excitement he recognized every member of the Wizengamot, particularly former Professor Umbridge and Amelia Bones.  Who he did _not see was Cornelius Fudge.  The minister was nowhere in the room, yet business was going on as usual, evidently lead by Umbridge.  That was when a loud banging on the double-door entrance way rattled the air.  _

Umbridge set down her paper work and, looking as if she was holding back a curiously ugly squeal of delight, made a beeline for the doors.  What happened next confused Harry.  Umbridge simply opened the door just enough to allow her fat body through, left the room, and closed the door behind her.  

A few in the Wizengamot were confused as well, but they quickly went on debating or writing up some important document.  Harry (who felt more like he was in a Pensieve than anything else) simply waited for the dream to end as he had abandoned all efforts to wake up.  Less than a minute had passed when the doors opened again.  But this time, not by Umbridge.  

A person more horrible, more foul than Umbridge was entering the room with a bright smile spread across his face.  Flanked behind and alongside him were fifty — no, — perhaps one hundred hooded and masked figures, each pointing a wand at the unsuspecting Ministry Officials.  The one in front was unmasked and his hood was down, so no one could mistake his chalk-white skin, red snake-like eyes, and chilling grin.  

"Ministry of Magic!" the man bellowed in his high-pitched voice.  Harry saw the officials who had been deep in their work now leap in terror.  "Their will be a slight change in leadership!"  

The room then erupted in green light.  Several Death Eaters had taken part in killing the few of the Wizengamot who had the presence of mind to get their wands out.  Voldemort was outraged.  

"Fools!" he screeched at those who had attacked, "You had orders to disarm, _only_!  Wormtongue!"  

A masked figure stepped out of the ranks to one of those who had fired _Avada Kedavra_.  As a silvery hand came out of the cloak's sleeve, the foolish Death Eater started shivering where he stood.  The silvery hand then closed over the Death Eater's.  It closed down hard, breaking the man's hand into a mangled heap of flesh, and snapping his wand in the process.  The man screamed, but Harry couldn't hear it very well over the noise.  It was only then that he noticed that the other Death Eaters had sufficiently disarmed each member of the wizard government.  

What Wormtongue did next to the disobedient Death Eaters, Harry never knew; his eyes were locked onto Voldemort in terror.  

"Now," Voldemort gleefully shouted as he stood in the center of the arena of Ministry members, "witness the power and majesty of the Dark Lord of all!"  He raised his hands up with his wand in one of them and began chanting low.  All of the Death Eaters that had not been punished raised their arms as well and joined the chanting.  Harry could see a look of intense fear from one of the injured Death Eaters whose mask had fallen off.  Harry didn't recognize him, but the man looked absolutely ready to cry.  

"W-What d-d-do you w-w-want?" one of the officials asked.  

Voldemort met the woman's gaze and she brought her hand to her face and issued a small cry of horror.  Voldemort stopped chanting and simply said, "I made that clear eighteen years ago," and went right on chanting, this time raising his face to the ceiling.  

The instant Voldemort's gaze was straight up, a tremor shook the room.  Several of the Wizengamot made to retrieve their wands, but were quickly thrown over several rows of chairs by an invisible force.  A strange white mist began collecting in the air and Voldemort, followed by the Death Eaters, chanted louder.  The louder they chanted, the faster the mist swirled around them.  

Many of the members of government began convulsing as if racked with a horrible pain.  A woman screamed.  She was soon joined by the woman who had dared to ask Voldemort of his intentions.  Then a feeble-looking old man began to wail.  _What the heck is going on?_ Harry wondered.  Then, like a blow to the stomach, the answer hit him.  

Harry saw that the fog was growing denser and was spinning faster.  He also saw that each of the members of the Wizengamot seemed to be flaking away, like sand in a high wind.  To Harry's bewildered horror, even the Death Eaters who weren't chanting with their hands up were being broken down and swept away as if they were stone statues aging over several millennia.  Their dust-sized pieces swarmed around Voldemort and his Death Eaters, four of whom had met the same fate as the Wizengamot.  Voldemort didn't look the slightest bit disappointed.  In fact, he looked utterly thrilled.  

The white fog, which had formed into a ring from the spinning, collected itself into a twister just above Voldemort's wand, which seemed to suck it in like a vacuum.  

When all the fog was gone, Voldemort dropped his hands, smiled broadly, turned to his Death Eaters and triumphantly said, "_Now_, all is ready!"  

This was met by cheers from Voldemort's followers.  Harry heard Mr. Malfoy's voice shout, "_Morsmordre_!" and a brilliant green image appeared hovering in the air: Voldemort's Dark Mark, a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth and rapping its way up and around the skull.  The image hovered for an instant before Malfoy moved his wand and the enormous Dark Mark floated through the ceiling and outside like a ghost.  

"Let the true reign of the Great Dark Lord Voldemort begin!" Voldemort shouted.  Then he did something that mad Harry jump with fright: he looked straight into Harry's eyes and sneered widely.  Then there was a flash of light and Harry saw the room, Voldemort, and his Death Eaters no longer.  

Harry screamed.  Screamed so loud he was sure the residents in Hogsmeade would hear him.  His scar hurt so much that he would have willingly cut his own head off if it meant he'd be free of the pain.  He also screamed because he had wanted to ever since he saw those people get so horribly murdered.  

Even though Harry was sure more people would hear it, everyone in Gryffindor was jolted out of their beds by his sudden outburst.  Sweat was pouring down his face and chest and he heaved for breath.  It felt like no air was getting into him.  He hardly noticed Ron hovering over him, calling his name regardless of his screams.  

Air finally seemed welcome in Harry's lungs.  Ron was holding his shoulders, trying to calm him down, and Harry's head felt like it was going to explode.  He had stopped screaming, but it made no difference.  Everyone had heard it anyway.  

"What is it, Harry?" Ron asked loudly.  

"I…uh….scar…!" Harry was able to wheeze out.  

"Does it hurt?"

Harry almost bellowed, "_Yeah, Master of the Obvious!" but his scar hurt too much to do even that.  _

The dormitory door opened.  To everyone's surprise, Ginny and Hermione, closely followed by Parvati barged in.  

"Whoa!" Seamus cried, "What on earth are _you_ doing here?"  

A few more girls came in as well.  "What happened?" a little First Year asked.  

"I dunno!  He just woke up and—" Rod said.  

"Had…dream…" Harry mustered the strength to say.  He was telling himself over and over again that it was just a dream and that none of it was real.  

"What?" Ron asked, aghast, "But you haven't had one of those since—"

"Potter!"  

Everyone's head turned to the doorway where Professor McGonagall came pushing through the crowd of Gryffindors.  She looked upset and disheveled, her hair fuzzy and flying everywhere.  No doubt from the news of Dumbledore being sent to Azkaban.  

"Potter!  Come with me now!  It's an emergency!"  

Harry's scar still ached badly, and in the midst of thinking, _please let it just be a dream…please…_ he was able to say through clenched teeth, "Why? ...Proffessor, I—"  

"Now, Potter!  There's been an attack at the Ministry!"  

*          *          *


	2. The Decision

Harry Potter #7

Chapter #?

**Voldemort****'****s**

**Final Downfall**

**Part 2:**

**The Decision**

"W-Wha— Huh?" Harry squeezed out.  Was it true?  Had Voldemort actually attacked the _Ministry of__ Magic?  __Please let it not be so, Harry's mind screamed.  _

The Gryffindor students moved to avoid Harry in a way he hadn't seen since his Second Year.  Completely in his striped pajamas, Harry followed Professor McGonagall to the door.  

"Professor—" Ron and Hermione said in unison.  By their tones Harry could tell they wanted to join him in wherever he was going, and quite honestly, he would have been overjoyed to have them at his side; he desperately needed a friend.  

"Absolutely not!" Professor McGonagall snapped as if she'd been waiting for them to protest.  "You two — and all of you — must return to your beds immediately!  What I have to say to Harry is none of your concern.  Now come along…"  

She ushered the girls out before closing the door to the boys' dormitory.  As the girls climbed their staircase, Harry caught a glimpse of a sympathetic, almost sad look from Ginny.  Hermione, too, looked deeply concerned, and none of the girls looked like they were going to sleep at all for the rest of the night.  

Once Harry and Professor McGonagall had passed through the portrait hole, the pain in Harry's head subsided enough to pose his first question to her.  He didn't want her do know that he might have dreamt the attack, so he played it innocently.  

"P-Professor?  What, um, what happened?"  

Professor McGonagall let out a long, exasperated sigh.  "Harry," she said with as much calm as she could muster, "You know as well as I — and probably _better_ — that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has just taken control of the Ministry of Magic.  You were detected."  

"Huh?" Harry asked, bewildered.  

"Mr. Potter," she said with a little spice added to her voice, "How can you seriously think of entering the Magical world as a learned wizard — or becoming an Auror, for that matter — when you don't even know how a Security Globe works?"  She took Harry by the hand and led him to the stone gargoyle in front of the entrance to Dumbledore's office.  

"Cherry Fruitcake," she said, and the gargoyle leaped aside.  As they stepped onto the moving stairway, Harry asked his next question.  

"So…what are we gonna do?" Harry asked, thinking that he'd be able to understand his Professor's answer now that his head had nearly stopped hurting.  

"That's exactly what we're going to discuss." Professor McGonagall replied, and she opened the office door.  

The office was still the same as it had been a few hours ago, when Harry had been here to talk to Dumbledore.  Except this time, the room was full of people.  Nearly every teacher stood by, seemingly waiting for Professor McGonagall's return.  Also with them were Stuart Ackerley, a short, Fourth Year Ravenclaw, and Susan Bones.  Harry entered and Professor McGonagall went to stand behind Dumbledore's desk.  One of the strange, silver instruments was on it, and Professor McGonagall began gazing deeply into a small hole, as if it were a telescope.  

After a short while in which nobody spoke, Professor McGonagall closed the instrument (or at least, that's what it looked like to Harry) and pushed it aside while saying, "Well, You-Know-Who is no longer there, but a few of his followers are."  

There was a sudden tension in the air and Harry guessed that the object she was gazing in somehow allowed her to see into the Ministry.  But if Voldemort wasn't there, where was he?  

"Shoul' I call th' others, Minerva?" boomed Hagrid's voice from the far end of the group of teachers.  

Professor McGonagall pondered this suggestion for a moment, and then said, "Have you spoken with Firenze, yet?"  

Hagrid rolled his eyes.  "Yes, Minerva.  Bu' he woul'n't stop talkin' abou' _Mars to let meh get one single word in!"  _

Professor McGonagall sighed, "Very well."  

She was about to dismiss Hagrid, when Harry remembered something that was said to him almost six years before.  In fact, it might have been six years to the very same night!  

"Wait a minute, Hagrid," Harry said quickly.  Hagrid had his enormous hand on the door handle and didn't turn around.  He stopped before opening the door to acknowledge his attention to Harry, however.  "What exactly did Firenze say?" Harry inquired.  

Hagrid turned and Harry saw he had an eyebrow raised.  "Jus' tha' Mars was brigh'er than ever before and jus' abou' straigh' up.  He said it so many times I think I'll remember it fo' the rest o' my life.  Why?"  

Harry decided he didn't want to go deep into the story of when he had first met Firenze in the Forbidden Forest right before he was taken back to Hagrid.  That night, former Professor Quirrell, with Voldemort on the back of his head, had slaughtered a Unicorn for its blood.  Harry had been rescued by Firenze, who afterward would just would not stop stargazing.  He had repeatedly said, "Mars is bright tonight."  Not many days later, Voldemort attempted to gain possession of the Philosopher's Stone, the key to Immortality, and to kill Harry.  Harry felt the sign might just mean trouble ahead.  

"Oh, nothing," said Harry, "Just wondering."  

Hagrid eyed him up and down, then, as if remembering his task, flung the door open a sped down the staircase.  

"Would you be so kind as to shut the door, Mr. Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked.  

Once Harry had closed the door, the short Ravenclaw boy, Stuart, asked the first question.  "So what are we doing here, anyway?" he groaned sleepily.  Professor McGonagall looked at the other teachers, many of whom gave reverent nods.  Harry suddenly felt like he did not want to be here.  

"Mr. Ackerley," Professor McGonagall began, "There was an attack about one hour ago at the Ministry of Magic."  

Stuart's eyes went wide and Susan gave a yelp as she brought her hands to her mouth.  "What happened?" Stuart asked, dumbfounded.  

"Stuart," Professor McGonagall said with more sympathy than Harry had before seen, "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his followers attacked."  

Now it was Stuart who brought a hand to his mouth in horror.  Susan let out a mangled scream and shrank to the floor, quivering and sobbing.  Professor Sprout knelt with her and hugged her, saying, "There, there…"  

"My Auntie!" Susan wailed between sobs.  

Stuart cursed loudly.  "He would have _had to get passed security, wouldn't he?" he asked as though he already knew the answer.  _

Professor Binns, the ghost teacher of History of Magic, shook his silvery head sadly.  "I knew Eric, your father, quite well…" he said dreamily.  

"We don't know what happened to him," said Professor McGonagall, "We had no globes watching—"  

"So you're just gonna stand there and assume my dad's dead, are you?" Stuart roared.  Susan started crying louder.  

"This is not a time to get angry, Mr. Ackerley." Professor McGonagall said, her own temper rising.  

"And what about _him?" he asked with an accusing finger pointed at Harry, "Other than that scar on his forehead, what has __he got to do with this?  He doesn't — and __didn't —have any relatives in the Ministry!"  _

"_He," Professor McGonagall breathed angrily, "has everything to do with this!"  Then she paused, calmed herself and said, "Sorry, but here's no more time to discuss this.  I must tell you that I have reason to believe that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is coming here right now."  _

A hideous gasp filled the room.  Professor Sprout looked up in alarm from Susan, who was still crying into her knees, which had been pulled up to her eyes.  Harry wanted to comfort her, but he had absolutely no idea how.  He knew well what it felt like to loose someone dear, and now Susan was right in the same boat he was.  

"What should we do?" squeaked small Professor Flitwick, "What is your plan, Headmistress?"  

Professor McGonagall slumped into Dumbledore's old chair.  She did not know what to do.  With Dumbledore gone, the students were helpless to an attack by Voldemort and his Death Eaters.  The painful answer was obvious.  

"We…" Professor McGonagall began weakly, "I'm afraid we'll… have to close the school…"

"No!" Harry exclaimed and everyone jumped.  "We – we can defend _ourselves, Professor!  The D.A.!  We Seventh Years can—"  _

"No, Potter!" Professor McGonagall snapped, "We will not put any student's life in danger!  And you are not authorized to have your say in a decision like this!  The decision must be quick, and acted upon promptly!"  She turned to the teachers, "Does anyone know of any reason why we should not send students home as soon as possible?"  

Every teacher shook their heads.  Harry took the time to quickly scan through the teachers and he noticed that one teacher in particular was missing: _Snape_!  

"Then is everyone agreed to ending the school year early in this time of crisis?" Professor McGonagall asked.  

All heads nodded.  

"Then it is decided."  Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and went on, as if dictating, "This Wednesday morning of the 27th of May, Hogwarts is officially closed due to the threat of an attack on its students.  All Exams and classes are canceled until further notice.  Students will be returning to their respective homes immediately.  We apologize for the inconvenience.  Signed, Professor Minerva McGonagall."  

Once she had finished speaking, Harry noticed a scarlet and black striped quill writing furiously on a piece of parchment.  The parchment then rolled itself up and sealed itself with wax in the shape of the Hogwarts crest.  

Then Professor McGonagall seemed to give instructions directly to the quill, "I want you to write a copy of this letter for every student at Hogwarts and send the owls out to deliver them to their families."  

Without the slightest pause, the quill rose into the air and shot out of a window toward the Owlery like an arrow.  

The room became strangely quiet.  Harry was completely speechless.  Hogwarts was shut down.  That was it.  By the overwhelming silence, Harry guessed everyone else was reeling too.  

Professor McGonagall told Professor Sprout and Flitwick to escort Susan and Stuart to their houses, and to announce that Hogwarts was being evacuated immediately.  She then excused all the other teachers to make ready for immediate departure.  

"You go on your own, Harry," Professor McGonagall said with a sigh, "I have to summon the Hogwarts Express, announce the news to the Slytherins, and wait for Hagrid…"  She trailed off into thought and motioned with a sweeping of her hand for Harry to leave.  Before he left however, she added, "Oh, and will you wake up the other Gryffindor students and tell them the news?"  

Harry agreed and descended the stairs, closing the door behind him.  Slightly nervous about walking the halls alone and unarmed when Voldemort could be entering the castle at any moment, Harry made his way briskly to the Gryffindor tower.  He kept a wary eye down every hall and out every window he passed.  He saw no sign of movement, but didn't stop until he gave the password at the Fat Lady's portrait, and climbed through the hole into the common room.  

Only glowing coals remained in the fireplace.  All was dark and quiet.  Harry knew better than to believe everyone had gone to sleep.  His screaming, combined with what they had heard Professor McGonagall say, would allow none of them to fall asleep.  So Harry made his way up to his dormitory to get his wand and some day clothes.  

Harry pushed the dormitory door open and sure enough, he found Seamus, Neville, Ron, and Colin sitting on their beds, talking feverishly.  When they saw Harry, the room was silent for only an instant before each bore down on him with their questions.    

"What happened?" Seamus asked with a raised eyebrow.  

"Yeah," Colin asked, "You alright?"  

"What's going on?" Ron asked.  

"Are you allowed to tell us?" asked Neville curiously.  

Harry was taken aback by their abruptness and, after staggering a moment, said, "Um, uh yeah.  I can tell you."  

"Then what is it?" Ron asked excitedly.  

"Yeah!" Seamus and Colin said together.  

"Hold on!" Harry yelled.  He didn't have time for this!  Voldemort could blast his way through the Fat Lady's portrait as easily as he could blast his way through anything!  So Harry decided to say something exactly to that effect.  "Voldemort's coming here _right now!" he thundered while the others jumped and Neville fell off his bed.  "We're evacuating the school!  Now get dressed!  All of you!  And only bring what you need to take home!"  _

Each of the boys' faces had gone white.  It was a while before Ron started tearing his clothes to dress in out of the dresser and Seamus asked, "Um…How do you know that?"  

"It's what Professor McGonagall said." Harry said breathlessly.  

That was enough for Seamus.  He too started taking his clothes out and began dressing.  For a moment, Harry was also about to get dressed, but decided the girls needed to hear these instructions too.  "I'll be right back," Harry said, and, grabbing his wand, left the dormitory.  

After descending the spiral staircase, Harry brought his wand to his throat and whispered, "_Sonorus," so he could be heard by everyone in the Gryffindor tower.  He turned to face both staircases that led up to the boys' and girls' wings, and made his announcement.  _

"Atten—" his rumbling voice startled him.  He forced himself to keep speaking regardless of having stammered slightly.  "Attention all Gryffindor students," his voice echoed, "The Dark Lord has attacked the Ministry of Magic and is now on his way to Hogwarts.  Professor McGonagall has ordered that all students prepare for immediate departure.  Take only what you need.  With any luck, you'll be safe and sound in your homes by morning."  

As students began emerging from their rooms, Harry pointed his wand at his throat and tried to whisper, but it came out as a regular yell, "_Quietus_!"  

Ginny had come down and was staring at Harry as though he had said something hideously vulgar.  Parvati and Lavender were also descending the stairs and looked too stunned for words.  The boys, who had already dressed, joined Harry in the common room.  

"What did he just tell you?" Ron scolded, "Go on!  Get ready!"  

The girls that had come downstairs immediately followed the Head Boy's orders and left to start packing up.  Harry then went up to his dormitory alone to change.  Once he was fully dressed, trunks were hauled (and some magically floated) down, and Harry made sure that every Gryffindor was ready to leave before setting off.  

The Gryffindor tower had been his home, and now Harry was saying goodbye to it for the last time.  Where was he going to go to now?  The Dursleys had said they never wanted to see him again, so Number Four, Privet Drive was out of the question.  Could he go to Number 12, Grimmauld Place?  He supposed he could apparate there once he was off the Hogwarts grounds.  There might be someone from the Order who could help.  Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, or any of the others could protect him there.  But Harry could not bear to leave this place – the place where so many marvelous things had occurred.  He was leaving his past behind and moving on to adulthood – to become an all-out Auror.  To say that Harry would miss this place was a major understatement.  

Ron kept his wand pointed at his trunks, which were levitating a foot above the ground.  "Well," he asked, looking at everyone else who was waiting, "should we go now?"  

Harry let out a deep, sentimental sigh.  Then said, "Yes.  Let's go."  

*          *          *


	3. The Exodus of Hogwarts

Harry Potter #7

Chapter #?

**Voldemort****'****s**

**Final Downfall**

**Part 3:**

**The Exodus of Hogwarts**

Harry Potter led the Gryffindor students to the Entrance Hall where they met Professor McGonagall.  "Oh, good," she said with a hand to her chest, "The last House is here."  She ushered them out the doors and Harry turned to see Professor McGonagall snuff out the last candle with her wand and close the doors with an echoing clang.  Harry half wondered if the echo with real or just in his head.  Once he saw Professor McGonagall lock the doors shut with the biggest set of keys he had ever seen, he turned and stepped carefully down the stone steps with the others.  

"Don't dottle!" Professor McGonagall called out.  "Children, follow me!  Because of the emergency, the carriages are not available for our use.  Now keep up!"  She made her way to the front of the group and led the way.  Not far ahead, Harry could see the Ravenclaws strutting tiredly toward the Hogsmeade Train Station where the Hogwarts Express patiently waited.  When Harry's scar began to prickle, his nerves went on end and he clenched his wand tightly within his robes.  

At the back of the Ravenclaw group, Harry could unmistakably see Luna through the darkness.  She turned and made eye contact with him and she smiled in her dreamy way.  She also appeared sympathetic, as if she wished as much as Harry that none of this was happening.  Harry returned her smile but kept his gaze on her long after she had turned away.  

As the groups walked on, Ron quietly cleared his throat with a raised eyebrow at Harry.  

"Hmm?" Harry whispered as he turned to Ron, "What is it?"  

"You know what." Ron whispered back with a crooked smile.  

"Wha—" Harry began.  _What was Ron saying?_ Harry thought,_ That I _like_ Luna?_  "Ron," Harry scoffed, "What are you trying to get at?"  

Ron's smile broadened.  "_I'm_ not trying to get at anything." He whispered, "Its _Luna who is!"  _

Hermione gave Ron a sharp jab in his shoulder from behind.  Then she sent him a look that Harry felt sure dropped the air temperature a few degrees.  

"Ron," Hermione hissed, "Whoever Harry likes and whoever likes him is none of your business!"  

"Hermione," Ron said with a disbelieving look on his face, "You should have seen the looks on their faces.  It's _obvious they've got it for each other!"  _

Hermione made a scoffing laugh, "Funny.  I never thought _you'd see a girl's hints!"  _

Ron's eyes bulged in fury.  But before he could retort, Hermione came to a halt and met up with Ginny.  The two of them quickly began their own discussion.  

"Women!" Ron exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air.  

Harry was grateful for what Hermione had said; it kept Ron from seeing his cheeks flush.  

About a minute later they had reached the Train Station.  Even though the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs had already taken their seats, there were still several people outside the train.  One of these people spotted Harry and made his way toward him.  

"Mr. Potter," his gruff voice called out, "Doing well, for now?"  

Harry looked up into the stationary eye of Moody, who was fully clothed in his black Auror uniform and his wand was drawn.  

"Uh," Harry stammered, "Um, yes.  Yes, I'm ok."  

Ron and the others started to board the train.  The various teachers and Aurors outside the train were ushering them in.  

"I doubt that." Moody said soundly, "Not with all that the Dark Lord's been up to since the attack on the Ministry."  

"What?" Harry asked, confused, "What's he been doing?"  

Moody's magical eye was turned backwards toward Professor McGonagall, who shot them both a sharp look.  "Never mind that, now," Moody said, before adding in an undertone, "It's all in the Daily Prophet."  

Moody shoved Harry roughly into the train and went back to his duties.  Harry began looking into each compartment's window for Hermione, seeing as Ron would be up in front, dealing with the Head Girl, Pansy.  In the third compartment, Harry spotted Hermione and slid the door open to join her.  

Harry immediately saw that Hermione wasn't alone.  Luna sat across from her, and they were both talking feverishly.  As soon as they saw Harry, however, they went perfectly silent.  

"Oh, hello Harry." Luna said in her usual misty tone.  Hermione smiled up at him.  

"What were you two talking about?" Harry inquired suspiciously.  

"Oh, nothing," Hermione replied, sending Luna a small smile.  

_Ah,_ Harry thought to himself, _'Girl-_Talk'.  As soon as Harry sat next to Hermione, Professor McGonagall's voice rang over the speakers.  "Attention all students!  I would like to express to you my gratitude for getting here so quickly and on such short notice.  I would like to ask you to stay in the compartments you have chosen for the entire duration of the trip.  It is imperative that you do not open your compartment doors!  Otherwise, the punishment would be far beyond any disciplinary actions of school.  This is your only warning.  I will speak to you again when we have reached platform 9¾."  

"Whew!" Hermione exclaimed, "Now we can finally go the entire way without Malfoy barging in!"  

Luna chuckled, "Yeah… No kidding…"  

Harry smiled humorously; remembering well the duel he and Malfoy had had one year ago on the way back to the Muggle world.  The three of them began chatting about old times, and Harry wished yet again that Ron didn't have to ride in the front of the train.  But then it occurred to Harry that Ron and Hermione becoming Prefects had led him into meeting Luna Lovegood in the first place.  _She's a little weird, yeah_, Harry thought, _but honestly, where would I be without her?_  

The discussion about old times turned to Dumbledore, which quickly turned to Voldemort.  Harry hadn't noticed it before, but he found that both Hermione and Luna felt perfectly fine with saying 'Voldemort'.  How and when Luna had gotten used to it, Harry never knew, but he appreciated the fact quite a bit.  

When Hermione inquired about Harry's cruel awakening, Harry told them both about what happened at the Ministry of Magic.  Hermione gasped with a horrified expression on her face more than a couple times, but Luna just nodded as Harry unfolded each occurrence of the attack.  

"Ah, yes," Luna mused aloud to herself, "Ghost Mist."  

Hermione dropped the hand that had covered her mouth and scoffed loudly, "Luna, _there is no such thing!  'Ghost Mist' was just a fairy tale told to make little kids' eyes grow big."  _

"But then again, Hermione," Luna quickly replied with a wise look in her eyes, "when you were ten years old, would you not have said the same things about witches and wizards?"  

Hermione opened her mouth once, but didn't answer.  

"What exactly _is 'Ghost Mist' anyway?" Harry asked, "What does it __do?"  _

Hermione sent a skeptical look at Harry before rolling her eyes and turning to look out the window toward the red glow of sunlight in the east.  Luna did nothing to hide her excitement of sharing something she knew with Harry.  

"Well," she began, "It's an ancient form of magic that goes as far back as history itself — it _does!" she added when Hermione made a snorting laugh.  _

"But what does it do?" Harry inquired.  

Luna thought for a moment.  "You know the Dementor's Kiss?" she asked, "Well, think of the _opposite_ of that.  Instead of taking your soul and leaving an empty shell of a body behind, it takes that 'shell', or your body, and leaves the soul.  So, naturally, it kills the victim.  It breaks down all the elements that make up the person's body into miniscule pieces of each separated element.  Voldemort obviously wanted to use this because when the dust stuff got sucked into his wand, he gained all of the victims' combined strength both physically and magically!"  

Harry's eyes went wide.  At this rate, Voldemort could quickly and easily become the most powerful wizard in the world!  Then something occurred to him.  

"Is there a catch to it?  Like the one tagged onto the drinker of unicorn blood?" Harry asked.  

Luna thought again, this time very hard.  After a short while, she said, "No, no I don't think there is…"  

"Wait a minute, Luna," Hermione asked skeptically, turning to her, "If Voldemort can do this 'Ghost Mist' stuff, why didn't he do it way back when he was strong?  Or, for that matter, when he attacked Harry as a baby?  What stopped him then?"  

Luna eyed Hermione accusingly.  "For the same reason _you wouldn't if you were in his shoes.  Because like you, he didn't think such a spell existed!"  At this Hermione let out a huff and slumped back in her seat with her arms folded.  "Besides," Luna continued, "Like Harry said, Voldemort _and_ his Death Eaters did this.  According to what I've learned about that spell, it's difficult for most wizards even in large groups!  So Voldemort most likely needed all his followers' strength to back him up!"  _

Hermione gazed out toward the rising son again.  That's when Harry remembered his plans.  

"Oh, yeah," he said while looking down at the floor, "I, uh, I don't think I'll be getting off at the Kings Cross station with you two."  Hermione and Luna looked at him curiously and Harry told them how he couldn't (and wouldn't, for that matter) go back to the Dursleys, but had to go somewhere with Aurors because of Voldemort.  

"Well that'll be useless." Hermione said suddenly.  

"How come?" Harry asked, turning to her.  

Hermione picked up the Daily Prophet from its slot on the wall and showed Harry the front page.  

**Dark Lord Takes France**

**Spain Warned**

Luna stood and joined Harry on the other side from Hermione.  Upon closer inspection of the self-updating newspaper, Harry saw that the columns that normally bore news were completely blank.  The only things on it were the lines that separated each column, a large picture of the Dark Mark and above it the headline which suddenly changed before their eyes.  It now read: 

**Dark Lord Conquers Spain**

**Europe Nearly Fallen**

_How could somebody take an entire nation in a matter of minutes?_ Harry thought as his jaw dropped.  He shoved it back to Hermione.  "Put it back," he said matter-of-factly, "I'm going now."  

Harry stood to apparate, but Luna stopped him.  For the first time, she looked down to earth and serious.  "Harry where do you really think you'll go?  To the Order of the Phoenix's Headquarters?  You'll be found and killed before you know it!"  

"Then where should I go?" Harry asked, rounding on her.  Harry immediately regretted it; he hated the hurt look she always gave him at such times.  

"Harry," Luna said smoothly and sweetly, her eyes returning to their far away look, "remember last year when you told me why you were protected at your Aunt's house?"  

Harry thought a moment.  "Yeah," he said slowly.  

Luna smiled a little.  "Just because you're of age, Harry, doesn't mean you still couldn't use their protection."  

"But _because you're of age," Hermione added with a wry smile, "they can't give you any trouble."  _

Harry thought about this.  As long as he was at the Dursleys, he was safe from Voldemort.  Even though the protection around Harry was gone because he and Voldemort shared the same blood, the Dursley's house had somehow become completely off limits to him.  But _how that worked, Harry was sure he would never know.  Harry sighed; he knew exactly what he should do.  _

"Alright, you two," he began, "We'll say goodbye once we reach Platform 9¾.  Then I'll apparate back to Privet Drive.  But I can tell you right now that the Dursleys will not be happy to see me again!"  

Luna let out a snort of laughter and nodded.  Hermione just looked down at the floor and turned to gaze out the window.  Before any of them were ready for it, the train slowly came to a halt and Professor McGonagall's voice rang out.  

"May I please have your attention?" she said, "I would like to express my thanks that nothing ill happened throughout the course of our journey.  Please remain seated until your house is announced.  At that time, you must follow the adult we put in charge of your house.  We will leave in the same manner that we boarded, meaning the Slytherin House, lead by Mr. Moody, will go first.  All Slytherins are free to exit their compartments now."  

The three waited silently, knowing that in a few moments, they would leave each other – never to attend classes with either of the other two again.  For a moment Harry and Luna locked eyes, but Harry quickly gazed at the floor, in hopes of not showing any signs of admiration of her.  

The Hufflepuffs were called a few minutes later, and not long afterward the Ravenclaws were announced to follow "Ms. Tonks" to the platform.  Harry smiled at how Professor McGonagall had called her "Ms." but the smile quickly faded as Luna stood and straightened her robes.  

"Well," she said mistily, looking at each of them in the eye, "That's that."  And without another word, she turned and left the compartment.  

Harry and Hermione were silent for a minute or so.  Then Hermione broke the silence.  

"So, Harry," she asked slowly, "what's this between you and Luna?"  

"It's—" Harry began.  He had no idea how to explain that he thought her smart, kind, wonderful, and even kind of cute, but that he didn't _like her like that.  The truth was that Harry didn't want to admit his feelings for someone else even to himself.  "It's nothing, Hermione.  It's just nothing."  _

Hermione narrowed her eyes slightly with a bit of a smile.  She then said, "Uh, huh.  Alright…"  Harry didn't like her tone.  It told him that she knew a lot more on this subject than he did.  

Before long, Professor McGonagall's voice rang out, "All Gryffindors may now exit their compartments.  You will then follow Professor Snape through the barrier."  

"Professor _Snape?" Harry and Hermione said in unison.  Harry remembered that Snape was not in Dumbledore's office when the decision to close Hogwarts was made.  But where had he been?  _

Harry and Hermione left the compartment and closed it behind them.  Up ahead, they could see Ron exiting from where the Head Boy and Head Girl sat in the front.  And standing at the doorway of the train was Professor Snape, looking as hateful as ever.  

As the other Gryffindors left the train, Snape just leered at them all.  But when Harry walked passed him, Snape grabbed his shoulder and hissed, "You'll be staying with me, Potter."  

By the look in Snape's eye, Harry could tell Snape didn't want this any more than Harry did.  So as the rest of the Gryffindors passed by (trying not to look at Snape in the face), Harry and his Potions Master waited on.  Once all the students had left the train, Snape took a step down and said, "This way, Mr. Potter."  

The morning was overcast and gray.  There was also the smell of rain in the air.  Snape and Harry slowly made their way to the barrier and walked through.  

The other side left Harry speechless.  The Kings Cross Station was dirty and possibly grayer than the sky.  Except for every Hogwarts student being kept there until every last person had come through the barrier, the place was completely empty.  What surprised Harry the most were the Wanted Posters on some of the pillars.  

**Wanted: Dead or Alive**

Called "Voldemort,"

But is also referred to as "Who-Know-Who"

And "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" by those similar to him

Below the "Wanted: Dead or Alive" title, a picture had been drawn of a man in a swirling black cloak, hood up to cover his face, and wand held high, as if he were about to bring it down while shouting a curse.  The other students looked every bit as surprised as Harry to see the condition of the Station – or of all London for that matter!  

Professor McGonagall stood in the front of the crowd and was about to speak over the chattering students, when she stopped.  The ground began to shake slightly and all the students went silent.  As the tremor grew, Harry found Hermione in the crowd and gave her a look that asked her what on earth was going on.  By the look in her own eyes, he could tell she knew no better than he did.  

The tremor grew and Professor McGonagall was thrown to the ground. That was when Snape yelled, "Outside!  Everyone outside!  _Potter_!  Come with me!"  

Amidst the trembling of the ground, every Hogwarts student left the Station.  Snape was quickly lost in the crowd as Harry was pull with the other students.  Being outside wasn't much better than inside: the shaking continued and billowing black clouds were gathering with intense speed as lightning constantly struck the ground.  

The rumbling abated for a moment so Professor McGonagall ordered everyone to stay close together.  But then there was a sound like an explosion that threw everyone to the ground.  Harry looked up from the asphalt of the parking lot only to see that the swirling, black clouds were coming toward them from every direction, and were descending quickly.  

Harry knew he had to act quickly and that whatever was happening was far from good.  So, staggering to his feet, he shouted, "D.A.!  Form out!"  

This caused several things to happen at once.  As soon as each D.A. member had stood and retrieved their wand, they immediately found themselves surrounded by every Slytherin at Hogwarts; Draco Malfoy conveiniently placing himself in front of Harry.  The teachers, too, became alarmed and tried to make their way toward Harry.  

"Not gonna get away with this one, Potter!" Malfoy sneered, "The Dark Lord will—"  

Several spells discharged at once.  Ron blew Crabbe away with a Binding Blinding charm, Hermione caused tentacles to begin sprouting from beneath Malfoy's nose, like a huge mustache, and Neville's Patronus slammed Goyle right in the chest, before fading away once more.  But as the Slytherins raised their wands for a counter attack, an eerie, high pitched voice shook the air, seemingly from all directions.  

"My fellow Slytherins," it hissed loudly, "You will have no need to fight.  Your Lord and Master has arrived."  

*          *          *


	4. The Great Battle

Harry Potter #7

Chapter #?

**Voldemort****'****s**

**Final Downfall**

**Part 4:**

**The Great ****Battle******

Everyone froze; even Moody, who had been ready to settle the fight, was looking around for the source of the voice with his magical eye.  He seemed to have found it, because both eyes turned to look straight at the billowing mass of blackness that had touched down in front of Harry.  There was a crack, and Moody appeared no more than two feet from Harry, pushing Malfoy to the pavement.  Shouting back, Moody said, "Just sit tight, Harry."  He then turned to the mass of cloud and roared, "What do you think you're gonna do now, Riddle?"  

Harry's fears were confirmed.  Voldemort was here – more powerful and strong than ever before.  Even the Slytherins were shaking, but Harry got the sense that it was not out of fear, but excitement.  

There was a hissing noise and just as an enormous snake leaped out of the cloud, Moody blasted it with a lightening bolt from his wand.  The snake fell limply to the ground, and Moody got right back into attack position.  

Voldemort's high pitched voice emanated from within the cloud, "_Avada_—" 

One of the solid brick barriers from inside the Station crashed down between Moody and the cloud, drowning out the last of the curse which caused the barrier to explode, sending bricks flying in every direction.  Tonks, who had summoned the brick pillar, instantly created a dome-like shield around the students to protect them from the debris.  Moody, however, had been too close.  One brick caught him hard in the stomach and a small shard flew imbedded itself into his magical eye.  Because he couldn't feel his eye, Moody only knew of the wind getting knocked out of him.  But now his magical eye had been rendered completely useless.  

At this moment chaos erupted through the Students that weren't members of the D.A.  Harry spun around and instantly saw why.  The black clouds had surrounded them on all sides and dementors were spilling out of the clouds from behind.  Two already had students in their arms and were ready to Kiss them.  

As fast as he could, Harry fantasized Dudley sitting miserably in Azkaban and Dumbledore here to chase Voldemort away.  Then he bellowed, "_Expecto Patronum_!"  

The silver stag flew from the end of his wand and sprinted through the students like a ghost and galloped right into the swarm of dementors.  It rammed into the ones closest to Kissing a student first, before running over the rest.  His patronus was quickly joined by Ron and Hermione's.  Harry heard a crack from behind him as Moody, still wheezing, apparated to the other end of the group.  

Remembering Voldemort, Harry turned quickly, expecting to see the dark cloud in front of him.  But at that moment, the cloud vanished before his eyes.  Now Harry could see nearly a thousand witches and wizards, each masked and in a black cloak with a brilliant green symbol of the Dark Mark on their chests.  Also with them were hundreds of giants and even more dementors.  

"Behold!" announced Voldemort in his coldest voice, the only unmasked figure though his hood was up, "Harry Potter!  'The Boy Who Liv_ed'!"  All of his followers laughed hysterically.  Harry felt particularly uncomfortable with Voldemort's emphasis on the 'ed'.  Voldemort brought his wand to point strait at Harry's heart and called out to his Death Eaters, "You are free to treat them as you wish, but Potter is __mine!"  The Death Eaters let out a cheer and rushed the group, some spells beginning to fly through the air.  But they all stopped short as they encountered Tonks' shield, which was still up.  Harry looked deep into Voldemort's empty red eyes and wanted to raise his wand too, but it was like his mind wasn't working!  He just couldn't muster the strength to lift it and fight Voldemort!  _

Many of the Death Eaters exchanged looks of frustration, and looked to their Master for instruction.  

"No matter…" Voldemort said coolly with a small nod to a nearby Death Eater.  The Death Eater gave the shield a blast with their wand and it vanished into a thousand tiny sparkles.  Voldemort raised his wand above his head, a triumphant smile spread across his face.  "At last, Harry Potter…  _AVADA KEDAVRA!"  _

Harry was blinded by a flash of green light, and he closed his eyes, waiting for death to fall over him.  Voldemort stood there, his wand held out, waiting for Harry to fall to the ground.  _He won._ Harry thought, the blasts from the other duels growing faint, _I'm dead._  Harry slowly opened one eye to see what death was like.  

Suddenly Voldemort's face contorted with rage.  Instead of Harry, a Death Eater that had been in the midst of fighting Neville had fallen to the ground motionless.  Voldemort lifted his wand once more.  Harry finally found the strength to raise his own wand.  

"_STUPIFY!"  _

Voldemort froze with his mouth open for only an instant.  Blinked, and let out a piecing laugh.  "_AVADA KEDAVRA!"  _

Again there was a flash of light, and another Death Eater fell.  As Voldemort's red eyes bulged, Harry's scar burned with pain.  

"Don't just stand there!" Voldemort screamed at the Death Eaters who had taken the time to watch the duel, "_Kill them!"  Spells erupted from the remaining students as the Slytherins joined with the Death Eaters.  Objects of all sorts exploded as they blocked various incantations.  The commotion became a bee's nest of war.  _

"You are _not getting out of this one, Potter!" Voldemort hissed loudly.  "You will go the same way as your dear parents and God Father!"  _

Harry clenched his wand tightly.  If Dumbledore hadn't told him that _Avada Kedavra_ was not the wisest course of action, Harry would have cast it already.  But oh, how he wanted to see Voldemort fall…

But Harry knew that somehow, for some reason Voldemort could not kill him.  Every safety Harry had previously had was gone, yet Voldemort was still powerless to defeat him!  Harry tried to exploit this failure of Voldemort's – it was risky, but it could still work well for him.  

"Do you really think so?" Harry replied cockily amidst the explosions and colorful flashes of light, "It looks to me like you can't even kill me!"  Then he added, just rub the pain in some more, "Just look at who's achieved invincibility!"  

Voldemort's lip curled and Harry's scar throbbed with pain, though he did everything he could not to show it.  Then Voldemort lifted his wand into the air and brought it down hard.  "_AVADA KEDAVRA!" he screamed.  But this time Voldemort's wand did not point at Harry.  Nevertheless, with the flash of green light, Harry felt his heart stop.  _

Harry wheeled around to see who Voldemort had hit just in time to see Padma Patil fall limply to the ground.  "No!" shrieked Parvati, who had been dueling with the same Death Eater as Padma.  Harry couldn't believe it; he didn't want to believe that Padma had just been killed.  

Parvati leaped over her sister and held her head up.  "Please…please, no…" she cried.  The Death Eater's wand was raised high as Parvati had rendered herself completely defenseless.  

"_Crucio!"_

"_CLAUDERE!" Harry bellowed, his wand pointed at the Death Eater's.  Instantly the Cruciatus Curse exploded in mid-air between Parvati and the Death Eater, throwing the cloaked figure to the asphalt and knocking their mask off.  _

Parvati had tensed up and was huddled over her sister's body.  Harry grabbed her arm.  "Come on!  Let's go!" he shouted.  

"No!" Parvati wailed, completely oblivious to the turmoil around her, "Not without Padma!"  

"You—!  You can't—!" Harry yelled as he yanked on Parvati's arm.  Then he stopped.  Voldemort was gone – absolutely nowhere to be seen.  Harry hadn't even heard him apparate!  

"Wee, little _Potter…" said a creepy, girlish voice from beneath the cloak's hood of the Death Eater that had been dueling Padma and Parvati.  In a million years, Harry would never forget that voice…_

"_Bellatrix…" Harry seethed, his eyes narrowing, standing up in attack position toward her.  Harry wished the loathsome expression on his face was bad enough alone to kill.  _

"Why Potter," Bellatrix began in mock disappointment, "you sound like you might actually try to _hurt me."  She laughed hysterically and rose from the ground.  "Like Dumbledore always said," she added as if imitating a tutor or a nurse, "'Don't do anything rash'.  Oh, no; that was __Siriu—" _

Harry never heard the incantation he cast.  The next thing he knew, his hatred was only somewhat satisfied by blasting Bellatrix ten feet into the air.  She collided into a small group of Death Eaters trying to make their way to the excitement of the battle ground.  

Harry wanted so much to destroy her as soon as possible, but as the group of Death Eaters collapsed, his eyes went to something Bellatrix had dropped when she got blasted.  Without wasting a moment, Harry whispered, "_Accio wand!" and Bellatrix's wand zipped up from the asphalt and into Harry's left hand.  _

Bellatrix had some trouble standing again and pushed herself off the others roughly before giving Harry a lethal stare.  Then her expression became one of horror when Harry held up her wand.  He placed his thumb under it and the rest of his fingers on top of it.  Bellatrix, who had taken a step toward Harry, now froze in her tracks as she figured exactly what Harry was threatening to do.  A few of the Death Eaters she had landed on stood and were drawing their wands.  

"Take one more step, and I snap her wand in half!" Harry heard himself shouting over the crowd.  This brought all battles to a halt and was met by mingled looks of terror and anger, and even some scattered laughter.  Bellatrix, however, looked more furious than Harry could have imagined anyone being.  

A Death Eater stepped up from behind Bellatrix.  In a deep, piercing voice, he said, "Do you really think you could snap her wand in half with just your _fingers_?"  A few of the others laughed, but Harry knew they were very nervous and that they were trying to get him to disarm himself by attempting to break the wand in both his hands.  

As quick as he could, Harry brought one end of Bellatrix's wand to his waist and held the other end in a fist.  A few of the Death Eaters raised their wands to strike, but no spells were cast.  

"Give the wand back, Harry Potter." Bellatrix said in a sickening sweet voice.  "You shouldn't take things that aren't yours… Didn't your parents ever teach you that?" she added nastily.  

Harry pressed the wand to his waist and heard a few small clicks from it.  He knew that once he broke it, the Death Eaters would kill him instantly – Bellatrix would be powerless, but he'd be dead.  So he played it out very carefully.  

"Bellatrix," Harry hissed at her, "Get out of here now.  And never poison us with your presence again, or I _will_ snap your wand in half!"  

Nobody spoke.  Bellatrix's mouth had become a small line from her fury and her hands began to shake violently.  "Harry Potter…" she seethed breathlessly, "You give that back to me _now_, or you won't live another day!"  

"First you leave!" Harry bellowed, and not knowing what he was saying, added, "And I'll mail it to you!"  

This was met by a few scattered sniggers, but they quickly went silent again.  

"Very well, Potter," Bellatrix chuckled, "you can _mail_ it to me.  But until then…"  She jerked her head and a few of the Death Eaters behind her raised their wands to point at the students.  

"I'll break it if _one spell is cast!" Harry threatened and the Death Eaters closed their moths and lowered their wands.  "Now get out of here!" Harry finished.  _

Each of the cloaked figures looked to Bellatrix, their Second in Command, for an order.  Her eyes still boring into Harry's, she nodded.  Like several firecrackers, each Death Eater apparated from the scene.  Even the dementors and giants that had been fighting with them disappeared in their various manners.  

Bellatrix seethed, "This isn't over, Potter…"  

"Yeah, you bet it isn't!" Came Ron's voice from behind Harry.  Bellatrix just glared at him.  

A tall Death Eater walked over to Bellatrix, dropped a small rock in front of her and muttered, "_Portus," in a voice Harry knew belonged to Mr. Malfoy.  The stone glowed blue for a moment before returning to look like a regular stone.  Bellatrix didn't pick it up; instead she whispered something to Malfoy, who smiled broadly.  _

Harry heard Professor McGonagall, Moody, and several others rushing up from within the group of students that were still standing.  Moody and Tonks came along either side of Harry and lifted their wands toward Bellatrix and Mr. Malfoy.  Bellatrix just let out a resounding laugh.  

"_Avada Kedavra!"  _

To everyone's surprise, there was a flash of green light as Moody was blasted to the ground, knocking over both Harry and Tonks and sending Bellatrix's wand out of Harry's hand.  Heads immediately swung around to Draco, who had a fascinated look on his face; his wand held high.  Harry, half-way sandwiched between Moody and Tonks, saw Moody's magical eye (still with a small brick shard in it) roll away.  

Draco sweared loudly, "I _missed!"  Suddenly explosions started all over again, as students from the other three houses attacked Malfoy at once.  Harry heaved on Moody, who grunted loudly and brought his hands to his face.  _

"_Aaarrgh!" he bellowed.  Then muttered, "Weak…"  Moody then got swiftly to his feet and as Harry struggled to get up, he noticed that Moody had a set of brand-new scars across his face.  Without the slightest pause, Moody began casting spells to separate the fight, much to the surprise of the Slytherin students.  That's when someone grabbed Harry's wrist tightly.  _

"You'll be wanting this, _Potter!" Mr. Malfoy said coldly from behind his mask as Bellatrix stood slowly from retrieving her wand.  Harry felt Tonks scrambling for her wand and Malfoy kicked her hard in the mouth.  The next thing Harry knew, something small and hard fell into his hand, and he felt a lifting feeling from his navel.  _

Various scenes and areas rushed passed Harry in a fantastic blur before he hit a cold marble floor.  Everything was black, save for the blue candles along the circular wall.  _Oh, no... Harry thought frantically, __what am I doing here?  _

"_Lumos!" Harry whispered.  The light from his wand created a glare off the floor and ceiling, but otherwise illuminated the room lined with doors for Harry to see.  Harry, finding he was alone, prepared to apparate back to the Kings Cross Station.  _

He whipped his wand through the air and across his body while concentrating hard on a certain position in the parking lot back at the Station.  But nothing happened!  He might as well have been trying to apparate in Hogwarts.  He tried it again with the same outcome.  

"Great," Harry breathed sarcastically to himself, "Now which door should I choose?"  

Instantly a door behind Harry opened by itself.  Upon gazing in, Harry's mind was consumed with a flood of memories: the battle two years before, Dumbledore coming to the rescue, Harry chasing Bellatrix from the room, Sirius…  They had all happened here, in this room with nothing but an archway on a pedestal with a black veil, surrounded by a circle of steps leading down to it.  Harry stepped into the room and heard the familiar whispers of those that stood beyond the veil.  Harry even wondered if Sirius might be one of the whisperers…  

Harry soon heard other noises aside from the whispering: the sounds of many people walking nearer as they spoke quietly to each other.  Harry darted into the room and closed it just as he saw a door across the room open.  Harry's scar burned painfully as he made brief eye contact with the red-eyed leader of the group entering the room of doors.  

Thinking fast, Harry locked the door with his wand and darted down the stone steps to hide behind the pedestal.  He hid for what seemed an eternity.  Had Voldemort seen him?  _Of course he did_, Harry thought to himself, _that's what made my scar burn.  _

Harry wanted to peak around to see if anyone had entered the room silently, but he forced himself not to.  At that moment, Harry heard a fizzling sound and the door swung open with a bang.  A short while after that, it closed slowly, squeaking loudly as it went.  

When at last the door was closed Harry heard Voldemort's high, hissing voice call out, "Why even try to hide from Lord Voldemort?  You're only making the same mistake as your parents…"  Harry could hear him moving down the steps toward him.  But what Harry couldn't figure out, was why Voldemort was alone.  

He knew Voldemort was going to find him, as he was in the only possible place to hide.  So he called out, "_You didn't find them!  Pettigrew did!"  _

"Yes, Potter," Voldemort said with a slight chuckle and stopped walking down the stairs, "but I killed them; just as I am going to kill you today."  

"But you can't!" said Harry triumphantly, though his nerves were on end, "You _tried and _failed_, __Lord Voldemort!"  _

Voldemort descended another step.  "Oh yes, Potter, you are quite right.  Avada Kedavra will no longer work against someone of my own flesh and blood; a price any caster of the Ghost Mist must pay.  But there are so many more ways to kill you…"  

Harry's scar flashed with pain and he couldn't help but issue a small yelp.  Voldemort was level with him now, on the other side of the pedestal.  Strangely enough, Harry thought the whispers from the veil above him grew louder, almost to the point that he could understand them.  

"…Like oh, say…_this!" Voldemort shouted.  Without warning, a solid stone brink the size of a city bus appeared hovering in the air.  Harry leaped away as fast as he could despite his stinging forehead.  The stone crashed and shattered only inches from the soles of Harry's shoes.  The pain in his scar increased as Harry used all of his strength to stand.  _

He was now facing Voldemort directly, with the pedestal slightly off to his left.  Voldemort's eyes were flashing and Harry gripped his wand tightly, looking Voldemort straight into his red eyes.  _Oh, how I want to kill him_, Harry thought.  

"Then why don't you?" Voldemort said as he held his hands away from his body, a broad smile across his ugly face.  He had been using Legilimency and Harry quickly rubbed his eyes shut, cursing at himself as he did so.  Voldemort let out a piercing laugh and brought his wand down to point at Harry.  "_Crucio_!" he bellowed.  

Harry had not been ready.  The spell hit him harder than a freight train and intense needles of pain spread inside and out through his body.  Harry screamed and fell to the stone floor.  When the pain was finally relieved, it seemed to Harry to remain on his forehead.  

Harry could barely hear Voldemort through his ringing ears.  "Now that you are submissive enough to corroborate," Voldemort said, "I shall finish you properly."  

"_EXPELLIARMUS!" an all too familiar voice shouted.  _

Voldemort's wand flew into the air and over Harry's head.  Squinting his eyes through the new serge of pain in his scar, Harry could make out the images of Ron, Hermione, and Luna, each with their wands drawn.  Ron, who had successfully disarmed the Dark Lord, raised his wand for another attack.  

Voldemort only had the time to turn around before Ron and Hermione yelled, "_STUPIFY_!" in unison.  Voldemort swatted his hand at the spells and they ricocheted, both catching Ron square in the chest.  

"RON!" Hermione shouted.  Luna hurdled several steps at once, dropping Hermione's Arithmancy textbook in the process, which for an instant had been glowing slightly blue.  She stopped fearlessly in front of the wandless Voldemort and raised her wand.  

"Petrificus—" she was cut off by Voldemort as he snatched her wand from her hand and spun around her to put her into a headlock.  

"Raise one wand and I break her neck this instant!" Voldemort seethed.  Luna's eyes were wide with surprise: she had not expected such strength from the Dark Lord.  Then, with his left arm on Luna, Voldemort waved her wand, "Accio wand!"  

His wand zipped up to his hand, despite having used another person's.  Upon retrieving it, he tossed Luna's aside and tightened his arm's grip on her neck.  Strangely, Luna wasn't struggling to get free, but was looking Harry in the eye, trying to tell him something.  Harry, standing frozen, gazed deep into her misty, hazel eyes in an attempt to decipher what she was trying to tell him.  Then her thoughts hit him.  

"_Don't you hear them?"_

And then Harry did.  The whispers behind the veil were almost to a speaking volume.  Their speech wasn't as much words as it was a specific feeling being instantly put into words within Harry's mind.  Nonetheless, Harry could even make out various voices.  One voice in particular caught Harry's attention.  

"Heed not his words, Harry," Cedric Diggory's voice seemed to half whisper, "Be brave as Gryffindor himself…or else… all will be lost…"  

Luna seemed to send Harry a discreet nod.  She had heard every word of it.  She even smiled, and perhaps, Harry wondered, she knew exactly the maneuver Harry was about to attempt.  

Voldemort had only raised his wand in the time it took for these thoughts to pass.  He thrust Luna away from him and she collided into the stone platform.  Wand still raised, he yelled, "_AVADA—" _

"_STUPIFY!" _

Harry and Hermione had cast the same spell at the same time and hit Voldemort with it on the right and the left.  Voldemort froze.  

"K—K—K—" was all the Dark Lord was able to say before he collapsed on the floor.  

Harry stared dumbfounded and the horrible figure sprawled on the ground and had some difficulty taking in the scene.  Ron was lying on a step unconscious and Voldemort likewise in front of the pedestal with the veil.  Hermione was still holding her wand out stiffly, and Luna was breathing hard, slouched on the stairs leading up the pedestal.  It was a short while before Harry realized his wand was also up where it was when it cast the spell.  

It wasn't long before Luna got a hold of herself and turned to Harry, smiling.  Harry swore he would never forget that smile for as long as he lived.  It was finished.  They had defeated Voldemort.  

"Fortunate we came and helped you out, huh…?" Luna asked breathlessly.  

"How did you get here anyway?" Harry asked, finally lowering his wand.  

"Portkey." Hermione said with equal tiredness as Harry helped Luna to stand, "We tried to apparate but it didn't work…and Luna can't apparate anyway…she insisted to come along…"  

Harry nodded and, holding onto Luna's waist to support her, asked, "How did you know to come here?"  

Hermione looked to Luna with a lost expression.  Luna just gave a wide smile and in a more misty voice than ever said, "Oh, I have my ways of knowing…Just a little instinct, that's—" She stopped and Harry gave her a strange look.  

Suddenly Luna's eyes went wide and Harry's scar seemed to split the skin once again.  He crouched down from the pain as Voldemort leaped up.  He raised his wand to point at the high ceiling, and there was an orange flash that blasted all four of the students back.  Harry felt himself being lifted off his feet and his wand leaving his hand before crumpling to the ground at the base of the black veil.  

Voldemort charged into Harry's stomach and nearly threw him through the curtain.  Harry pushed back with all his strength.  His scar hurt too badly to be adequately described, and he felt a trickle of blood meet his eyebrow from where the scar had actually reopened.  

Harry's pushing back had spun the two of them around.  Voldemort now had his back to the veil and Harry was on him; facing him nose to nose.  Their hands had clasped together as they tried to push the other away.  

Voldemort's wand was in his right hand; Harry's left.  Harry could hardly feel the tip as it pressed against his left temple through the pain and blood that was now running into his eye.  Voldemort pushed the tip of his wand to Harry's head as hard as he could.  Then, through clenched teeth, seethed, "_This_…_cannot _miss_…__WILL NOT miss…"  _

Harry pushed as hard as he could back on Voldemort.  _Be brave, he thought, _Godric Gryffindor_…_Godric Gryffindor_…  _

Still through clenched teeth, Voldemort raged, "_Avada_…"  

What was he going to do?  No matter what Harry could do, he saw that he would end up dead.  He could either wait for Voldemort to kill him at point-blank range, he could let Voldemort push him down the stone steps and _then_ kill him, or (if only he could) Harry could push Voldemort through the veil and wherever one went the other would go.  Maybe then he'd see those whispering people.  And Sirius…  

"…_Ked—"  _

_Be brave!  Be brave!  _

"—_av—"  _

At that moment, Harry released his grasp of Voldemort's left hand.  Turning his right shoulder, he barreled into Voldemort's chest.  

"—_ra – __ra – __a – _AAAH_!"  _

Harry and Voldemort toppled through the veil.  But Voldemort gave one last try to life: reaching up, he snatched the curtain near its top.  There was a horrible ripping, like the very fabric of space and time was being torn, and Harry and Voldemort fell into the endless blackness.  

And Harry's scar hurt no more.  

*          *          *

_Author's Note:  This is **NOT the end!  Whew!  THAT would be terrible!  I'm not **__that bad!  :P  One more part to go.  Don't worry, it'll be awesome…  _


	5. The Story Told

Harry Potter #7

Chapter #?

**Voldemort****'****s**

**Final Downfall**

**Part 5:**

**The Story Told**

All was perfectly dark and silent.  Yet, strangely, Harry felt happy.  A happiness unlike he had ever known flowed through him.  He felt at home; surrounded by those he loved most.  Though not seeing with his physical eyes, Harry could somehow _see his parents, Sirius, Cedric, and hundreds of others, including Padma, all standing around him, shouting for joy.  Harry could not have asked for a happier day.  _

He felt his mother's warm smile, her cheek against his as they embraced lovingly; her whisper, "I love you," resounding to the core of his being.  All was perfectly right and Harry never wanted it to end.  

Being with Cedric again made everything come in full circle.  Had it really been three years since his death?  Harry wondered to himself how time could possibly appear to be long; all his memories seemed compacted within a mere instant.  

Sirius' smile was as grand as ever.  But then he said something that made Harry's heart break.  "You have to go," he said, still beaming with love and appreciation, "You should not be here.  Go, Sir Gryffindor.  For as you have been told, it is not who we are born that decides who we are; it is our choices."  Then before Harry could ask him what he meant or protest his leaving, Sirius laid his hand on his shoulder and, grinning warmly said, "Go."  

"_HARRY!"  _

Now everything was dark and miserable.  The back of Harry's head throbbed nastily and his back felt horribly uncomfortable on the cold stone floor.  Someone was over him, shaking him and calling his name.  But Harry felt too worn out to open his eyes.  Instead, he tightened his eyelids and reached up to rub them.  

The voice Harry recognized as Luna's made a sound of relief that was mingled in tears.  "He's alive!" she exclaimed.  

A sigh of relief came from Hermione too, but she seemed farther away.  Harry blinked his eyes open only to see a terribly burred image of Luna leaning over him.  It wasn't long before he realized he wasn't wearing his glasses.  He groaned and started searching for them.  

"Oh, your glasses," Luna said mistily through many tears of joy, "they flew off when you were thrown back."  

"Huh?" Harry said while gently rubbing a lump on the back of his head, "Wha… What happened?"  

Hermione was holding Harry's glasses and strode toward him ("Oculus Repairo!").  Despite the blur, Harry could see that as she came to the bottom of the steps, she looked grave and didn't want to look him in the eye.  It was as if she was astonished by something she wouldn't let herself believe.  

As Harry graciously took his glasses from Hermione, Luna took a deep breath.  "It was really…really quite amazing, Harry…" she said.  

Now seeing his surroundings well enough, Harry gazed around the room in astonishment.  Black cloaks were laid everywhere; strewn about the room this way and that.  On each cloak was a bright green image of the Dark Mark and with them was a mask with small slits for eyeholes.  

"So what happened?" Harry breathed quietly as he spun around.  Looking to what Harry was expecting to be an open archway where the veil once hung, he did a double-take at the sight of the black veil, moving slightly as it always had.   Luna and Hermione exchanged looks and behind them, Harry saw Ron shaking head vigorously, like he was trying to fully wake up.  

Hermione dove into the story.  "Just as you and Voldemort were fighting outside the veil, Death Eaters began to pour into the room." she said.  "They wanted to get you, but they were afraid that if they hit you with a spell, they'd get their master as well.  So Luna and I raised our wands to attack, when… well, uh…"  She trailed off.  

"When what?" asked Harry.  

"When you and Voldemort fell through." said Luna simply.  "You see, Harry, when Voldemort tore down the veil, every power from behind it, uh… spilled out."  

"No, more like _shot out!" Hermione added hastily, "There was a bright white beam that blasted out of the archway both directions as the rip lengthened!  When the light consumed the room and disappeared, the next thing we knew, every Death Eater was gone, the veil was drifting to a stop as if a wind had just ceased, and, to our surprise, you were lying on the floor!"  _

Harry blinked several times, trying but failing to comprehend this.  He wasn't sure he wanted to.  After all, he had had such a wonderful dream of those who had been killed by Voldemort – and even those who weren't!  It almost made him feel more comfortable to think it as nothing more than that: a dream.  A dream that Harry would forever keep within his heart.  But something was still puzzling him.  "Hang on, Hermione," Harry said, "How _did_ the veil get back up?"  

Hermione shrugged.  "We don't know…"  

Once Ron (who according to Luna had been woken by the flash of light) could think straight, the four decided to set out for the higher levels of in the Ministry building, to a place where they could apparate, seeing as Hermione didn't want her old Arithmancy book used as a Portkey again.  None of them said anything, and Harry wished Voldemort had done away with the calm female voice in the lift.  It spoke as if nothing had happened; as if thousands of lives had not been needlessly lost.  

When the lift clanged to a halt, the female voice began, "The Atriu—" before it was drowned out but a deafening cheer.  All four gazed open-mouthed at the scene before them.  

Hundreds of witches and wizards were gathered; crunched tightly in the large room and many were up on higher balconies.  They were whooping and clapping their hands, shooting small fireworks from their wands, and cheering as loud as they could.  Harry looked at them but didn't focus on their faces until his eyes rested on a pair bright blue ones behind a pair of half-moon spectacles.  

"D-Dumbledore!" Harry exclaimed.  Ron and Hermione's heads darted to Dumbledore's face.  He was the most welcome sight they had seen all year.  And even though he was only in Azkaban for a few hours, Harry felt like he hadn't seen him in years.  

Dumbledore raised his hands to silence the crowd behind him, which took several minutes.  During which time, Hermione and Ron hugged each other and Luna's hand found Harry's.  

"It's finished, then." She said simply.  

Harry sighed.  Now he wasn't focusing on anything.  It was over.  Voldemort and all his followers were gone.  He vaguely heard Dumbledore announcing to the crowd that when the cleansing power from behind the veil had been released, it defeated Voldemort, his followers, all evil creatures that had served him, and had wiped away his Dark Marks from all the Earth.  

Harry found that he felt strangely like a character in a film he had once seen while at Hermione's house the previous year in which at the end, the character had avenged his father's death, and then didn't know what to do, now that his life's pursuit was over.  "Have you ever considered Piracy?" the man next to the character had asked, "You'd make a wonderful Dread Pirate Roberts."  Harry laughed heartily and shook his head; it was over, and now he could at least comprehend it.  

The people surrounded Harry and Luna, and to his astonishment, there were even Muggles mixed into the group, with magically charmed news cameras and microphones.  Harry personally hoped that back in Little Whinging, the Dursleys could see _this_ on TV!  Then Luna did something that made him feel like he was flying: she hugged him and kissed him lightly on the lips.  

It wasn't long before Harry realized he had in fact been lifted into the air as two people carried him on their shoulders.  He wanted to get back down to be with Ron, Hermione, and particularly Luna, and lucky for him, the crowd was too thick to move him through, so his carriers only held him up and cheered.  Harry's eyes were constantly blinded by both Muggle and wizard cameras, and he looked to Dumbledore, who was raising a golden goblet that he had conjured.  As Hermione and Ron embraced and (to Harry's astonishment and delight) even shared a quick kiss, the room fell silent.  

"To Harry Potter!" Dumbledore shouted, "_The Boy Who Lived_!"  

Cheers erupted from the crowd once more, more fervent and jubilant than ever before.  Hundreds of goblets appeared in each person's hand and they, along with every wizard and witch across the world, raised their goblets to _Harry Potter_, _The Boy Who Lived!  _

*          *          *

Harry Potter entered the Minister's office.  "You wished to speak with me, Sir?"  

"Yes, Harry.  Come, come.  Take a seat." Minister Albus Dumbledore said, inviting Harry to his desk where a woman was already seated with her back to Harry.  She had reddish-brown hair that went to her shoulders, and Harry guessed she was in her late twenties.  Harry waved his wand and conjured a chair out of thin air beside the woman, who twitched slightly as she gazed in wonder at it.  

"How is your life fairing these days?" Dumbledore asked, sitting behind his desk, Is Ms. Lovegood…?"  

Harry laughed.  "Yeah, she's still a Lovegood.  But… but we're thinking about it."  

"And the Weasleys?"  

"Oh, they're doing just fine," Harry said, "I believe they went to Egypt to celebrate their first anniversary.  Hermione knows everything about it from reading and Ron knows quite a bit from his brother, so no doubt they're having a great time."  

Dumbledore smiled broadly and leaned back in his chair.  "And your work in the Department?" he asked solemnly.  

Harry bowed his head in a sort of reverence.  "It's…" Harry began, "It's moving forward…  Any time now the veil will be sealed.  And that'll be that."  

Silence followed for a few seconds before Harry spoke again.  

"How goes the Memory Charming?" he asked.  

"It is nearly completed." Dumbledore said with a quick glance at the woman to Harry's right.  "Just a few minor touches to the Muggles' historical records should be sufficient.  Oh, please forgive me." He added to the woman when she sent him a slight scowl.  

Harry ignored the last comment.  "It's been nearly _four years!" Harry blurted, "It shouldn't take this long, should it?"  _

Dumbledore sighed tiredly, "No, Harry, it really shouldn't."  He stopped for a moment before going on.  "But that would only be true if I hadn't been searching for a — how shall I put this — a certain 'bridge', if you will, between the two worlds."  

Harry raised an eyebrow.  Dumbledore was looking directly at the woman now, and a slight smile fell across his face as he turned back to Harry.  

"Harry," Dumbledore began, "The terror spread by Lord Voldemort among the Non-Wizard society was perhaps the worst way possible to share our existence with the rest of the world.  That is why we at the Ministry of Magic have attempted this world-wide Memory Charm expedition."  

"Yes, I know." Harry said.  

Dumbledore leaded forward and looked deep into Harry's eyes over his half-moon spectacles, the way he always had.  "And as you have seen, Harry," Dumbledore continued, "breaking the truth to someone through _writing has almost always been the __best way."  _

Harry scowled in thoughtfulness.  "What are you getting at, Sir?" he asked.  

Dumbledore smiled and leaned back again, his fingers absentmindedly stroking his beard.  After an eternal minute, Dumbledore said, "Harry Potter, I'd like you to meet a very good friend of mine, Joanne.  Joanne, Harry Potter."  

Harry finally turned to the woman sitting beside him and extended his hand.  She shook it nervously and Harry said, "Hello."  

"Hi." The woman replied, seemingly awestruck to be in Harry's presence.  

"Uh, Mr. Dumbledore, Sir, what does this have to do with any—"  

"Harry," interrupted Dumbledore, "I went searching high and low for a Muggle that had not yet been charmed.  Not only has Joanne not been charmed, but she also has the talents I have been searching for and they are unlike any I have seen before."  

"Oh, stop it." said Joanne, blushing furiously.  

Dumbledore winked.  "She is perfect for the job." He continued.  

"What job?" Harry asked, more puzzled than ever.  

"To slowly and carefully spread the message of our existence to the world through writing." Dumbledore said matter-of-factly. 

"Alright," Harry said, still looking at the ground, deep in thought.  "But what does this have to do with me?"  

"Ah, Harry," Dumbledore beamed, "what better way to tell the Muggles about us than through the memories of a certain boy named Harry Potter?  A boy who grew up like every other Muggle only to find he's a wizard!  A boy who, like everyone else, faced hardship after hardship, but _unlike_ everyone else, conquered each of those hardships one by one!  Why not tell the world of The Boy Who Lived so that as he learned of the magical world step by step, the reader may do likewise?"  

Harry was both confused and shocked.  He almost thought his scar was hurting again, but it was just a throbbing headache coming on.  After a moment, Harry asked, "You mean like a biography?"  

Dumbledore chuckled.  "A bit more detailed than that.  And in more of a story form, as is Joanne's style."  His eye twinkled once more at the woman.  

"How will she do that?" Harry asked, turning to the woman and back to Dumbledore, "Wouldn't it be better if _I wrote my own story of my life?"  _

Again Dumbledore leaned forward to look Harry straight in the eye.  "No." Dumbledore said simply.  "No, it wouldn't.  As you have learned many times, Harry, I have my reasons.  Let it be enough to tell you again that Joanne here has precisely the talent I need for your story and therefore for our ways to be spread throughout the earth.  This way it will be written, too, so that it may never again be forgotten, or misunderstood.  Besides, she's a Muggle, and you are not."  

Harry was about to argue as to how that last statement made any difference, but he held his tongue.  He knew better than to start an argument with Dumbledore.  

"But how will she do this?  I've never even met her before!" Harry said.  

"Do you remember the Pensieve you gave me last year?  It will tell her everything she needs to know."  

"And _much more!" Harry bellowed, rising to his feet.  _

"Don't worry, Mr. Potter," Joanne said as gently as possible, "I will only write what will be needed."  

Harry's fists clenched and relaxed several times before he finally said, "Ok, but I'm agreeing to this _only because I'd trust Dumbledore with my life — my life that's about to be read all over the world…"  _

"Indeed it will, Harry," said Dumbledore, stroking his chin and leaning back once more, "indeed it will."  

A few minutes later, Harry was excused to continue working on the bottom-most level in the Ministry and Joanne departed to begin work on the story Dumbledore wanted her to write, a bowl with silvery liquid with a fitting top on it under her arms.  

Along the train ride to London, Joanne took her seat and dug in her bag for a pen.  She had already spent some time observing Harry's life, and felt the time was right to begin taking notes to eventually reintroduce wizardry to the world.  Once she found her pen and some scratch paper, she wrote on the top of it, "Harry Potter: By Joanne Kathleen—" she stopped, thought better of it, scribbled out her name and instead wrote, "—By J. K. Rowling".  

Her notes of his life from the little of the Pensieve she'd seen began as thus: 

_Harry James Potter is also known in the world of wizards and witches as The Boy Who Lived.  This being because of his defeat of the Dark Lord Voldemort at age one.  Voldemort (A.K.A. You-Know-Who and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named) was reduced to a pitiful existence, yet Harry Potter survived the Dark Lord's curse with no more than a scar…_

**The End**

**Horrendous Amount of Author's Notes**: This story of Harry Potter is NOT mine!  What you have just read is simply some nice speculation of mine as to how the seventh book MIGHT end.  I hope you enjoyed it!  

Also, you saw that I put in some romance (lightly, but it was still there) between Harry and Luna.  My main reason for this is because of the scene near the end of Book 5 when the two are talking in the hallway about Sirius, the veil, and Luna's books being lost.  Harry feels sorry for her and sorry that he ever called her "Looney" Lovegood.  _Plus_, I think that someone who had an entire chapter named after them will really come to have a significant role in a later book.  I also wonder if Luna holds a small crush for Harry in the fifth book (at least!).  I'm _certain_ that Ron and Hermione will end up together (just look at Lily and James!) and although I didn't put this anywhere, I think that Neville and Ginny might have a chance.  I really don't know, though.  

Thank you _very_ much for taking the time to read this, and _please_ review!  Now that I'm finally finished, I can take a breath; focus on real life, college, and an original story of my own.  Once again, thank you for reading!  

--Seglotash


End file.
